Machinists’ skill and experience make 777 better

Machinists Union members deserve a lot of the credit for making Boeing’s 777 one of the best-selling widebody jets in commercial aviation history, the union’s district president in Seattle said.

Those same union workers are also taking steps to ensure the success – and profitability – of the program for years to come, said Tom Wroblewski, the president of Machinists Union District Lodge 751.

“The skill, creativity and every-day wisdom of Machinists Union members like you are saving Boeing time and money, while also making your jobs easier and safer,” Wroblewski told union members in the current edition of the AeroMechanic newsletter, which is now available online.

Much of Obama’s speech that day echoed themes that Machinists Union leaders have promoted for years, Wroblewski said: particularly in regards to the vital role manufacturing plays in America’s economy.

“When we spend our paychecks,” Wroblewski said, “we generate sales for stores and restaurants and work for every kind of service provider from tax accountants to Harley Davidson mechanics. As the President said, high-skill manufacturing workers like us ‘create jobs outside this factory.’”

And Obama’s remarks that American workers can compete and win in the global economy by providing the highest value to companies were also right on the money, Wroblewski said.

“Low-wage foreign workers often don’t provide the same high value as American workers, with our better education, training, skills and motivation,” he said.

Boeing managers and Machinists Union members are working together under a letter of understanding that empowers hourly workers to develop and implement their own ideas for improving the manufacturing process.

One group in the company’s Everett factory found they could save Boeing $78,000 a year in labor costs by putting down padding to protect floor beams from being scuffed, and by replacing cheap boot socks with higher-quality versions that were less likely to fall apart and spread residue. The combination saves some 11 man-hours of time that used to be required to clean their section of the plane after they finished working in it.

A story about this year’s class of seven IAM/Boeing Apprenticeship graduates, who have completed more than 8,000 hours of comprehensive training to become journeymen craftsmen in their respective trades;

A roundup of the volunteer work done by District 751 volunteers in February, which included building two ramps at the home of a wheelchair-bound women in Graham.

Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at Boeing, District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents more than 31,000 working men and women at 45 employers across Washington, Oregon and California. In December, District 751 members ratified a four-year contract extension with Boeing that ensured the 737 MAXwill be built in Puget Sound.

To contact a District 751 officer for information on how a union contract could help you, click here.